Time Away...

... from campus was what I was craving the other morning!

So... we left.

And went to the ranch for a few hours!

It was actually a great time, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to stretch out on a blanket in the shade of the trees along the sand-filled river bottom and just... be present... with the kids. :)

And -- like kids -- they found climbing, building sand, pebble, and twig forts, jumping off [and into] things, and generally running around in the open yelling their heads off... an exhilerating experience... lol.

Nere and Aaron on the other side of the river from where we camped with the blue, blue sky above [not azure -- that's still reserved for Kansas descriptions! ;)].

What is it about little boys feeling more manly if they take off their shirts?!?
Apparently, as a now-woman-then-girl, I do not understand this rite of passage, but they do -- and they make the most of it by suddenly gaining super-human powers [like super-sonic speed and super-bone-crushing-strength] and crashing into stuff.

It's very entertaining, actually.

We also had [literally] thousands of treasures that the kids would have liked to bring back with us -- but I had to put my foot down. Amy, you would have been proud! ;)

So, these were some of our collectibles -- and I loved seeing which shape, color, texture, and size attracted the different kids...

As I said -- [wrote?] I was on a blanket under the trees. My view up through the sun-spangled branches was periodically broken by one or (generally) six of the kids surrounding me and demanding that I smell this rock, explain that insect, or admire their battle scars... :)

Candi -- is part camel.

Seriously.

If you ever come visit, she will steal your water bottles or your cups or - sometimes - your coffee mugs [she also is quite good at manipulating them away from you with a little dimpled smile] and then chug the entire thing.

You have all been warned.

This is Aaron.

Aaron looks big and brave atop this tree branch.

What all should know, however, is that it took ten minutes or more of waiting around for him to climb down from his perch three foot above the ground -- even though he had climbed up there in the first place!!!

This was one of the war wounds.

Captured exactly in the moment of his re-telling the horrid, debilitating event.

And then he recovered as Aaron yelled to him to come smack into more tree trunks...

Jose found this caterpillar, which he called a gussano feo [ugly worm] -- and he was captivated. I love it when these children are captivated by nature -- God has given His children such an incredible world to explore and discover; if only we could keep the eyes and hearts of children forever...

I'm going to keep trying.

We - of course - took a lonche of juice and granola bars, so the kids happily slurped and chewed and watched the two cowboys that rode by on their mis-matched and [seriously] mis-sized horses. The one cowboy's legs nearly dragged the ground on either side of his pony-sized horse... :)

IN MEMORIAM

Yes... they had to go.

This picture was taken a week before the official retirement, which happened when the middle thingy-ma-jigger pulled through the sole and broke.

There is such a thing as wearing a pair of flip-flops into the ground, and these were not so much flip-flop on the heel as just -- ground. :)

The kids returned to school today, and though it's still a little chaotic with extra protective measures being enforced, I was happy to wave them off in their freshly-laundered uniforms...! Thanks for all your prayers, everyone... please continue to pray for those in administrative positions that are handling the after-effects of the "near" pandemic both in schools and the community. And that we, as workers here, could show compassion and patience...